


Tally Marks

by Rachaelwrites_ao3



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma, College AU, F/F, F/M, First story, M/M, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform, Paris - Freeform, Soulmate AU, just for fun, tally marks, villain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27143281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachaelwrites_ao3/pseuds/Rachaelwrites_ao3
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng has always had a massive crush on Adrien. That is, once she finds a red tally mark on her wrist, she looks it up to see that it's a soulmate mark.Plot twist - Whenever someone falls in love romantically, a red tally mark appears on the wrist. But if the love is unrequited (doesn't get feelings returned) it becomes black. Now that Marinette knows this, she begins to think outside of the box: Chat Noir.(A/N: I don't own MIRACULOUS™, all credits to Zag.)Also available on Wattpad at - https://my.w.tt/Ytn7MvChTab
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! My name is Rachael and I bring you...Tally Marks! I would like to give a special thanks to Miraculously_bored on Wattpad for helping me with publishing this story! :) make sure to check her book, Tattoos! I hope you enjoy the chapter!
> 
> This story is also available on Wattpad at -  
> https://my.w.tt/Ytn7MvChTab

Marinette 

Marinette awoke to the disturbing sounds of her alarm going off. She had stayed up almost until three in the morning working on a dress for the homecoming dance that was coming up in two months. With a groan, Marinette harshly placed her palm on her alarm clock to make it stop going off. She then got up and blew the bangs that hung over her face and made her way to the bathroom to shower. 

Over the years, she had gotten better at waking up early. When she was a freshman at François Dupont, she had always been late to class. And being Ladybug had never helped. That's right, you heard me (or read me?), Ladybug. Marinette, one of Paris' heroes, who always protected the city in a red polka-dotted spandex suit and fought of akumas. Well, they used to. That was until Hawkmoth was defeated. Hawkmoth was Paris' supervillain, who had wanted Ladybug and her partner, Chat Noir's miraculous'. If he had succeeded, he could have made a wish, but someone would pay a terrible price.

Marinette had gotten out of the shower around ten minutes later, now just brushing and blow-drying her hair. She had dyed some of her hair red at the ends to change things up a bit. Luckily when she transformed into Ladybug, the dye would disappear. She had just gotten done with blow-drying her hair when she realized she had to leave in almost twenty minutes for college. 

Cursing under her breath, she ran out of the bathroom and to her closet. With her amazing sense of style, she was able to pick an outfit that matched her mood in under five minutes. She threw on a mustard yellow knit sweater along with black leggings that had pockets on the sides. She wore white Vans with no show socks. 

"Tikki, get up, we have to go in a few minutes." Marinette gently picked up her Kwami, Tikki, and she awoke from her slumber. Tikki was the one who gave Marinette her transformation and powers of Ladybug in just three words: 'Tikki, Spots on!'. Marinette rushed to the bathroom once again to brush her teeth and then went over to her kitchen to grab macaroons and croissants to eat on the way to school. 

"Shoot, almost forgot my bracelet.." Marinette ran back to her room to grab her bracelet and to the mirror to put it on when she noticed on her wrist was what looked like...a tally mark? "Did I scratch myself?" Marinette then realized it was black with a bit of red in the middle with a bit of scarring showing at the bottom of the mark, which was odd. "I'll look at this later." Marinette then ran back to the kitchen and grabbed her belongings before heading out the door.

..........

"Okay, the first day of school, what could go wrong?" Marinette was nervous. It was the first day of college, studying design and psychology. Wait, what if I'm not good enough? Marinette was very nervous now. This was her last year at college, and unfortunately, Alya, her best friend, was going to a different college. She felt alone. That was, until out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blonde man wearing a blue shirt with black pants and white Adidas shoes. 

The man looked very familiar, maybe she was just tired from barely any sleep last night. Luckily, there was no violence. The man rushed into the building. Wait, what time is it? Marinette opened her purse and took her phone out, careful to not hurt Tikki. She pressed the on the button and the phone turned onto the lock screen. 

8:25 AM

Marinette's eyes widened and she bolted inside the building, earning stares from some people. Great, what a good way to start the year, Marinette scolded herself. She yawned, her eyes getting droopy. "Oh no, not now! School is just starting, give me a break." Marinette said out loud, not knowing until some snickers came at her way from some students beside her as she rushed through the halls. 

As Marinette hastened through the halls, she thought about what people had been thinking about her right this moment. She moved her lips as she thought. "umph!" Marinette dropped her books on the floor, realizing she hit something hard. 

And soft. 

No, warm.

She looked up and saw a blonde with emerald green eyes. She knew him too well. "Oh, my god, Adrien! I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going- wait, you attend college here?" Marinette was confused. Like, confused. She had gotten news that Adrien would not be attending college. Of course, that was around three years ago. His father was very strict about his safety after his mother had disappeared. 

"Marinette! Don't worry about it," Adrien chuckled, "Yeah, my father permitted me to go to college. He wanted me to study design. I guess we never got the same classes." He smiled happily before he picked up the books Marinette had dropped a few minutes earlier. 

"Oh, yeah! I thought I would be alone, but I guess not!" Marinette sighed in relief, "Alya and Nino transferred to another college." Marinette missed them dearly and was sad she would not be able to see them much. "Yeah, I heard. It's going to be hard with them not around." Adrien gave her a sad smile. 

Marinette had gotten better at talking to Adrien. She practiced for years to tell Adrien of her crush on him, but Marinette had always had a problem with rambling. Marinette had a crush on Adrien since she was a freshman. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to return her feelings, so she tried forgetting about him. 

She tried so hard.

Luckily she was able to stop stuttering but she always seemed to run into him —literally.

But, you can't just forget someone kind, thoughtful selfless, handsome, brave- Snap out of it, Marinette! "Oh, thank you I almost forgot about my books for a second." Adrien got back up and gave them to Marinette, who was staring at him in awe. "So, where are you going? I'm going to..room 314." Adrien said as he took out his schedule. Marinette snapped back to reality and quickly got her schedule from her purse and looked at the first room. "Oh, same! Want to walk together?" Marinette asks as she puts her schedule back into her purse and tightens her grip on her books.

"Yeah, sure. We should go if we want to get there on time." Adrien makes his way as Marinette follows after him. 

Adrien

Marinette had changed a bit during the summer. Adrien was happy she wasn't nervous around him anymore, and it made him feel like he could talk to her more now that he was attending the same college and going to the same classes as her. Adrien and Marinette walked to class in a comfortable silence until they reached the door of the classroom.

Adrien looked at Marinette who looked nervous to go in. She was scratching her arm as if it had been an itch. But he knew her well enough it was just a nervous habit. But with her sleeve moving up and down with her hand, Adrien could not help but notice a black...tally mark? He shrugged it off, knowing that class was about to start. 

Adrien could not help but feel bad for Marinette. He knew that Alya and Nino had gotten transferred to a different college which meant they weren't going to the same college as Marinette and him. Because of this, Adrien made it his mission to not let Marinette be nervous nor feel alone. "Don't worry, Marinette. I'm here with you. There is nothing to be worried about." Adrien gave a reassuring smile. Marinette shook her head and put a smile on her face before making her way into the classroom. 

"Welcome, names?" A woman at the desk said as Adrien and Marinette walked in. "Uh, Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Marinette said and the woman told her what seat to sit at. "And yours?" The woman asked kindly as Adrien told her his name. "Alright, you may go sit next to...Marinette Dupain-Cheng." The woman smiled and pointed to his seat. Adrien made his way. "Adrikins?! Is that you?" Oh no. Why now? It's only about 8:30 in the morning, give me a break, Adrien thought as he turned his head slowly.

Putting on a fake smile, Adrien waved at Chloe, his childhood friend, and mayor's daughter. Chloe had always adored Adrien. As the daughter of the mayor of Paris, she tended to..think she was better than others. She also uses to cause most of the akumas. "Chloe...it's so nice to see you!" Adrien cursed at himself before making his way to Marinette. "Okay, class settle down. Class is starting." The woman got up from the desk after taking the final student's name and directing them to their seat. "As you may know, I am Mme. Gomez, and I will be your design teacher."

The rest of the class, Mme. Gomez explained what they would do. It was boring, as Adrien struggled to keep awake. Last night, he had stayed up thinking about how he'd confess his love to his Ladybug. "Now, listen closely. This semester you and your table partner as of now will be competing in a competition to win an internship for Gabriel." Mme. Gomez explained a few more things. "Now, the class is over you may go to your next class." 

Marinette and Adrien got up from our desk and walked to the door before hearing Mme. Gomez calls their names. "I will send you both an email regarding the project, as Adrien is the son of Gabriel and it would not be fair for the others. It'll be sent tonight, so be on the lookout." Mme. Gomez explained. She let them go two minutes before the next class started. 

Marinette and Adrien rushed out the doors and to their next classes before they had to part at end of the hallway. 

"See you at lunch?"

"Yep." 

The next six classes were boring. Adrien sat at the desk with his eyes drooping. He regretted staying up all night thinking of a way to tell Ladybug he loved her, even when he knew she would not return his feelings. What was the point? It was not until Adrien's face lit up when his sixth class came. He saw Marinette walking into his psychology class. At least this class won't be boring, Adrien thought as he walked up to the door.

He found his spot just in front of Marinette. Just like old times... "Welcome to your last year of college. I am Professor Stone, and this is Psychology. To pass, you must do a year-long project. I will not be easy on you, as this is one of your most important classes." The teacher began talking about her expectations for the rest of the class. 

"Now, this year, you will work on a project that will determine if you pass this class or not. You will be able to pick your partner, but you must get the task done. I never thought I'd say this but judging by the way some of you are looking at other people, I have to: Don't mess around." Some of the class chuckled, "And finally, everyone will have a different prompt. First, I will have you write down who you will be working with and by tonight I will have posted a sheet of the prompts each pair will have." 

The rest of the class was about the project. Adrien couldn't lie, he was excited to start the project. Maybe Marinette wanted to be his partner, after all, they knew each other most. Finally, Professor Stone let the class choose their partners and write their names down for the remaining ten minutes. Adrien turned around when he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Hey, Adrien want to be partners?" Marinette had been the first one to ask Adrien to be his partner. He had to give it to her, she was right on time. As soon as he said yes, a group of girls came over to him asking if he'd be their partner. 

"Sorry, Marinette already asked. Maybe next time." Adrien gave a smile of guilt. He knew she was already his partner for Design, but he could not see her designs until the competition was over. So, he decided he should be her partner. The girls turned away, sighing dramatically. "Alright, looks like we're partners Marinette. Let's get the paper then maybe we could discuss which prompt we want." Adrien grabbed his things before making his way to sit next to Marinette.

..........

Marinette

Marinette sat in her fifth class bored out of her mind. She could not stop thinking about the black tally mark on her wrist. Sure, Alya has mentioned it was a soulmate mark, but she never heard of a black and red tally mark. It even worried Marinette. She slid up her sleeve and looked at the tally mark, before tracing it with her finger. 

"Marinette, are you listening?" The teacher said. The class looked at her. Marinette's head snapped up and looked at the teacher. "Y-yeah, I just thought I saw a...bug! Yeah, a bug. It's gone now..." Marinette's face burned in embarrassment. A bug. Seriously, Marinette? That's all you came up with? Marinette rolled her eyes at herself as the teacher continued the lesson. 

..........

School finally ended. Marinette walked out of the classroom and outside. She felt relieved to see the trees and clouds instead of a whiteboard and desks. "Bye, Adrien! I'll see you tomorrow." Marinette said, turning around to make her way to her apartment. The college wasn't too far from home, but close to the next town. So Marinette decided to rent an apartment. She did not want to drive to her college. She had always wanted to walk to school as when she was in High school. Plus, she'd have a roommate. Transforming into Ladybug would be almost impossible.

Marinette got home and went into the loft that led to her room. She opened the door and set her bag by her desk and started her homework. The homework was just' getting to know you' and all that, nothing hard. She was going to make this year the best she could. After doing homework for about thirty minutes, Marinette got up from her desk and went to her kitchen to get a snack and a glass of water. And out of nowhere, Tikki popped up and scared Marinette so hard, her heart seemed to have jumped out of Marinette's chest.

"My gosh Tikki, you scared the crap out of me!" Marinette placed a hand over her heart and chuckled, until Tikki said, "Marinette, what about the mark you found on your wrist?" Tikki flew out of Marinette's purse, zooming to her chosen one. "Oh, right I almost forgot. Do you know what it could be?" Marinette asked Tikki before going to her mirror to roll up the sleeve of her sweater. There was a black tally mark, and it was clear as day.

"Okay, uh, let me search it up..." Marinette grabbed her phone before going to safari. She searched up, 'Black Tally Mark on Wrist' and there was an article.

Tally Marks 

Article by Adam Louis

"Many people are confused. Why are there what seems to be tally marks on your wrist? Well, it's simple. It's a Soulmate mark. There are both red and black tally marks. A red tally mark means you love your soulmate as much as he loves you back. Unfortunately, a black tally mark means one-sided love. It means either you don't return their feelings or they don't return your feelings. But recent studies show that if your soulmate dies, your tally mark would appear as a scar."

..........


	2. A New Villain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette learns something heart wrenching about her Soulmate Mark. And then there’s a new villain in town?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So I’m very surprised I’ve already got a hundred views in like under two hours...thank you so much! If you’d like, you can also go read this story on wattpad! I’m very thankful for the people who read my stories.
> 
> Read Tally Marks on Wattpad - https://my.w.tt/UX8HGmkDMab
> 
> Don’t forget to follow me on Wattpad (Rachaelwrites or RachaelH) and don’t forget to share the story, it helps :)

Marinette

"Ugh, they have everything but information on black and red tally marks. Tikki did any of the holders before I ever have this?" Marinette turned her head over to the small kwami on her shoulder. "No, I don't think so. Maybe you should talk to Master Fu?" Tikki said as she rose from Marinette's shoulders and flew to the desk to grab a cookie. Marinette looked at the article that appeared on the screen. "You're right, I will go get some cookies from the kitchen then we can go."

Marinette made her way to the kitchen. I just don't get it... Marinette thought as she grabbed the cookies from her cookie jar. She made her way to her room to get her purse before heading out the door. She made her way down the stairs in the apartment building and making her way to the subway just a block away. Marinette examined the people around her, noting they seemed to have been rushing to head home. It was 4 o'clock, so it made sense.

Marinette arrived at the subway after bumping into many people, which explained why her shoulder was starting to throb. She went into the metro after letting multiple people out and was able to find a seat. With a heavy sigh, Marinette got her sketchbook out. She looked around at what may have inspired her and started drawing away. That was until a man around her age sat beside her about ten minutes later. 

"So, what's your name?" The man asked, he looked at Marinette's sketchbook then back at her. Marinette looked up at the man's brown eyes. The brown color in his eyes was almost black, it was as if you could get lost in the darkness. "What?" Marinette looked at the man in confusion before going back to sketching. "You know, I'm a model. The name's Lontan, I'm sure you have heard of me." This "Lontan" guy was bugging Marinette. Couldn't he see that Marinette was busy? 

"Yeah I've heard of you," Marinette lied as she looked up at the man. His eyebrows were raised, and it was as if she could see a bit of what may have looked like vanity in his eyes. Now arriving at the Right Bank Seine. The operator said over the intercoms, as the train came to a stop. "Well, if you'd excuse me, this is my stop." Marinette waved goodbye and gave Lontan a fake smile before getting up from her seat and making her way off the train and into the crowd. But for some real reason, she almost could feel him staring at her as she went.

"Phew, that was scary..." Marinette said to herself as she made her way up the stairs of the Subway and found herself outside once again. She looked at the trees and was relieved to breathe again. She walked a few blocks, and before she knew it, she was at the door of the salon that belonged to the Guardian of the Miraculous, Master Fu. She knocked a few times before she was greeted by the familiar man with a red Hawaiian shirt. "Marinette, what a pleasure, come in."

The salon smelled of green tea and lemon flower. The walls were decorated with a white beige with a dark red rim. There were a few bookcases and very few pictures that hung in the building, along with a mat in the middle of the room and a table with some chairs over to the left. "Would you like some tea?" Master Fu said as he went into a room before coming out a few moments later with some tea. "Sure, I'd love some. Thank you."

"Please, sit," He said, as he set his teacup onto the table and sat into one of the cushioned chairs. Marinette sat into the other while holding onto the tea enjoying the warmth coming from the cup. "How can I help you, Marinette?" Master Fu looked at Marinette with concern. "Today I saw a black...tally mark with red in the middle and it looked like it was starting to scar. Have...Have you ever dealt with that?" Marinette asked and took a small sip of tea which calmed her a bit. "No, I'm afraid I have not dealt with those, nor have I ever heard of them. The Ladybug before you had a red mark, I will look into it if you'd like?" Fu got up from his chair and went to where his music box was and opened it, revealing many miraculous'. 

"But, maybe you could ask Wayzz. He may have the answer." Fu grabbed a green bracelet that held a turtle shell charm in the middle and put it on. "That's a great idea, Master Fu." Marinette set her tea on the table and got up from her chair before walking over to Fu. A ball of light circled Marinette and revealed a small turtle kwami a few seconds later. "Hello Marinette, Master, it is nice to see you again." The kwami talked before going to hug Tikki. "Wayzz, have...you heard of a black and red soulmate mark?" Marinette said, looking at the kwami. 

It had not been even a second and Wayzz's face turned pale once he turned to look at Marinette. It was as if his already light green skin had turned white- no color was in his face. "Marinette, don't tell me you..." Wayzz sighed shakingly, which frightened Marinette. What was wrong? "Marinette, I'm afraid it's not very good...you see, there is a great chance you will...pass after a battle with a villain. When did you notice your mark?"

Pass? Like, dying? What danger? If Marinette was never afraid of anything, she was now. "Today..?" The kwami flew over to Marinette. "That means a powerful villain unlike any other could be attacking any minute maybe even in an hour. You must be prepared for what this villain brings. You must go home and be ready." Marinette was scared. Scared for her life, scared for her friends and family, and scared by what the villain may bring.

"Go, Marinette, get ready. You don't know what will happen." Master Fu pushed Marinette to the door before shutting the door. Marinette ran to the subway and was able to get on the subway train just as she got there and sat in an empty seat. Prepared. Must be prepared... Marinette thought as she waited for the subway to stop. "Sweety, you're pale, are you okay?" A woman next to Marinette said. Marinette looked at the woman and then to her child before answering, "Yeah, just a bad day. Thank you though," Marinette smiled at the woman before turning her head to the window.

It felt like forever until the subway stopped. Marinette got up from her cushioned seat and walked down the aisle before reaching the door and stepping out onto the concrete. She sighed and walked up the stairs to where she could see an alluring clear blue sky. She walked and walked around until there were almost no people on the sidewalks, where she could go to an ally to transform. "Come on, Tikki. I need to take my mind off of this," Tikki came out of the purse and over to Marinette's face worriedly. "Tikki spots on!" A pink light engulfed Marinette and she came out as the superheroine, Ladybug. 

..........

Ladybug

Ladybug swung her yo-yo and tossed it at the nearest chimney and lightly tugged on it. She exhaled, missing the feeling of swinging through the marvelous streets of Paris. Many people looked up and cheered for the hero, as she smiled. "Woohoo! Yeah!" Ladybug yelled through the wind as she made her way to the Eiffel Tower. She passed Adrien's house and then her bakery in a blur. She finally made it to the Eiffel Tower where she sat on the iron of the monument. 

Her legs hung loosely over the edge of the tower as she thought of the day's events. Ladybug was terrified of what this new villain may bring. She let out a sigh before closing her eyes and relaxing in front of the beautiful horizon before her. It was a few minutes until a man came to sit beside her to do the same. "Nice out isn't it, M'lady?" Chat Noir said as he sighed. Ladybug hummed in approval. "What's got you down?" Ladybug heard Chat say, she opened her eyes again to have the blinding lights hit her eyes. 

"I...found something scary about both my sides of myself and I needed a break." Ladybug looked down at herself as if she had felt ashamed of what she found out. "Do you want to talk about it...?" She heard the cat say in concern. It wasn't until a few minutes of gathering her words that Ladybug spoke. "I...found something about my soulmate mark. Listen, I think there is a new vil-" Ladybug stopped mid-sentence at the sound of faint screaming.

..........

Chat Noir 

Luckily Chat Noir was able to pick up the sound as the two superheroes got up and went on their way to check out what was happening. He wondered what happened to Ladybug just minutes before and what she was going to say. He couldn't lie, it sounded like she was going to die. Chat and Ladybug ran for what seemed forever until they made it to the Louvre where people ran for their lives. And these weren't normal screams of robbery, they were the screams that were heard when Hawkmoth attacked Paris back in the day.

The two came upon a young woman with long gradient blonde to dark purple hair that was beautifully curled. She wore a purple dress that blended into different shades of the color and a dark purple cape with leather claws that had feathers of a crow on them.

And the eyes. 

The eyes were probably what scared Chat the most. Sure, his eyes glowed green too, but they were his natural eye color. This woman had red and yellow eyes...that was scary. Her eyes glowed along with what looked like an amulet on her chest that was the same colors as her eyes. 

For a second, Chat thought this could just be a cosplay thing or maybe just a prank. But when he saw her go invisible for a few seconds, he knew it was nothing like that at all. A new villain maybe? Or an Akuma? No, that couldn't be possible. 

"Who are you?" Ladybug said confidently. If she was afraid, she sure did not show it...at least she tried. Her face was pale and her fingers were shaking. Something he couldn't see at first, but it was clear as day. The young woman would not talk. Maybe she could not talk? It was odd, but it was probably the case. 

"Wait...I recognize that miraculous. It's the crow miraculous! And is that...the butterfly miraculous?! Where did you get that?" Ladybug's face turned even more pale if that was possible. "M'lady, didn't you put the butterfly miraculous where it belonged?" Chat asked as he turned his head toward Ladybug. 

"Yeah, I did. I wasn't being followed. There was a shadow that came and went, but that was because of the dark...right?" Ladybug had looked confused and the woman who was laughing maniacally wasn't helping. "We will figure this out, M'lady." 

"I won't ask a third time. Who are you and what do you want?" Ladybug said once again, her voice seeming as if it were starting to break up. What was wrong? What had she found out about her mark?

"Ah, you know, after you defeated Hawkmoth, I lost everything. And now, you will pay." A few seconds passed until the woman spoke again. She starting rising in the air. "My name is Raven and welcome to your doom." Raven smiled evilly before she swirled, "I watch everything." Almost two seconds later she dissolved into a black liquid that rushed its way to the shadows before the two heroines.

..........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thank you for reading the second chapter! I have decided to start updating the story at least one time a week...sometimes two. I hope you guys enjoyed!
> 
> If you’d like to read Tally Marks on Wattpad, here is a link- dont forget to follow and share the story to your friends!
> 
> Link - https://my.w.tt/UX8HGmkDMab


	3. Affluenza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette freaks out, Adrien being nice, what else?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I’m bad at titles, so I’m just doing the titles of the chapters as my favorite songs. In this case, this is Affluenza by Conan Grey! Hope you enjoy!

..........

Marinette

Marinette got back to her apartment that night. She avoided allies, empty streets, or anything dark on the way. With Raven able to bend shadows to her will, she felt like she would never be safe. She had transformed into the bathroom of a restaurant nearby after saying good night to Chat Noir. 

She opened the front door to her apartment after eating at the restaurant later on and put the leftovers in the fridge to eat at lunch the next day. She grabbed some cookies off the counter and brought them to her room while Tikki followed. 

"Okay...I just need to get my mind off this." Marinette muttered to herself as she went to her desk after hanging her purse up and turned her computer on. "Let's see...ah, Gmail." Marinette continued to talk to herself until she saw an email from her Design teacher. 

Marinette read the first part in her mind, not wanting to wake her kwami up...

'Marinette, as you know, you've been partnered up with Adrien Agreste for the competition to win the spot as an intern at Gabriel. You have the choice to either work as a group of three or you may choose to work independently. As I have discussed today, my other classes are also in this competition. Adrien will be checking on your progress as the due date comes closer.   
I'll see you tomorrow,   
Mme. Gomez'

Marinette nodded as she read through the email and sent one back saying thank you. She then went to the Classroom to check on updates in her stream from her Psychology teacher. With luck, she found the list of prompts she and Adrien would be working on for the year. 

Oh no. This can't be happening...

Attraction, romance, and love

Flashback-

"...whatever prompt you get, you must experiment on it. For example, if you get an emotion, your partner must do whatever they have to do to make you feel that."

Present-

Marinette tried so hard not to scream when she remembered that. "Adrien...has to court me?! What will I do?!" Marinette screamed at herself quietly, trying to keep calm. She failed. She was freaking out, couldn't believe what was happening. If you told 14-year-old Marinette about this, she'd never believed it. 

She was still freaking out by the time her phone chimed, thirty minutes later, meaning someone had been texting her. Speaking of...

Adrien💕: Hey, did you see the prompt we got for Psychology? 

Marinette: Yep! When do you want to start the project?

Adrien💕: I'm free tomorrow if that's alright. Your place? 

Marinette: Sure that works for me. 

A few minutes of silence fills the chat. It was until Marinette saw a chat bubble signaling Adrien was typing something...

Adrien💕: Weird, huh? 

Marinette: What do you mean?

Adrien💕: ...nothing. I'll see you tomorrow after school. Goodnight, Mari.

Marinette: Goodnight Adrien. 

..........

"Marinette..." a voice echoed through the bluenette's head as she rolled in her bed, trying to muffle out the noise by placing her head under her cotton fabric pillow, "Marinette." The voice kept echoing. "Ugh, Tikki..." whined, "don't tell me I have school."

"It's Wednesday." Tikki insisted, pointing to the calendar that hung above Marinette's desk, "You have school today."Marinette groaned, pulling herself out of her comfortable covers and fortress of pillows, heading down the stairs to the wood-tiled floor of her pink enveloped room. She lazily walked up to her desk, tiredly plopping herself down in her hot pink floral imprinted desk chair.

She grabbed her phone that sat on her desk on the charger. She pressed the 'on' button in the side and her eyes squinted as the bright light engulfed the room. She checked the time to see that it was 6:30. She'd have to hurry if she didn't want to be late for her first class. 

Marinette got up from her chair and went over to her bathroom after getting her outfit picked out. She turned on the faucet to the shower and got undressed and took a quick ten-minute shower. 

After that, she got out and blow-dried her hair and curled it before putting half her hair up and leaving half down. She sighed, "Tikki, what time is it?" She asked the Kwami, "Uh, it's about...7:00!" The Kwami yelled back. 

Marinette ran from one room to another quickly grabbing things. She ate a quick breakfast and took an extra croissant to-go. "Alright, Tikki! We have to go!" The Kwami zoomed from the bedroom and into Marinette's purse before walking out the door and starting her walk. 

Marinette began her walk to school in the rain. She didn't mind it, as it felt good on her skin and calmed her. She had stayed up all night texting Alya of what had been happening the past few days. 

She admired the sky as the rain poured down gently onto her face. Marinette kept walking as the school came into view just a few yards away. Walking in peace, no one to ruin her calming walk- "umph!" came out of Marinette's mouth as she collided into something hard. 

She looked up into the green eyes she had fallen in love with- no, Marinette! You have to get over him!- "Oh I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going..." Marinette trailed off as she saw Adrien smile- wait, Adrien? Wasn't this like, the second time she's bumped into him this week? 

"It's alright Marinette." Adrien gave Marinette his signature smile before the two walked together and chatting about the random things that were going on. "Oh, before we go in, I forgot-" Marinette was curious when she saw Adrien take something from behind his back.

Flowers. Beautiful pink flowers. And they were her absolute favorite type, lotus. Pink lotus's. "For the project, remember?" Adrien chuckled when Marinette continued to star at the flowers before she reached for them. Their hands brushed and Marinette couldn't help but blush. 

"Th-thank you Adrien, that w-was thoughtful of y-you." Marinette smiled giddily and scolded herself in her mind after mentally facepalming at herself. "Let's go before school starts." The boy said, smiling again before opening the door for Marinette.

..........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for the short chapter, I didn't really know what to do for this chapter, so I decided to make it shorter than the rest. But, I hope you enjoyed it :). While I'm on quarantine, I hope I can post at least three more chapters. The next chapter should be out by Friday or Saturday.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again :) 
> 
> I just want to say thank you for reading this far and I am currently working on the next chapters! I hope you guys have a great day!


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